Penny Lancaster, Salma Hayek and more stars prove the bikini is back
FROM new mothers to women with an average spread, you’d be hard-pressed to find a woman who doesn’t suffer from bikini anxiety this summer.
But after years of being shunned by anyone with even the slightest bit of discolored or wrinkled skin in favor of the more conservative one-piece, the bikini is back.
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Yes, tiny bikinis are common on Love Island and fitness influencers’ social media, but less popular with the older or curvier demographic.
The unwritten rule was that you had to hang up your bikini after the birth of your child and that you were definitely not allowed to wear it after the age of 35.
It was almost as if the female torso suddenly turned into a vomitous horror show.
I had my first child when I was 26 and immediately stopped wearing bikinis.
I gained weight and felt that the ring of stretch marks around my stomach was repulsive.
Instead, I wore not only a swimsuit, but also a loose-fitting T-shirt over it.
However, since lockdown, when we were all forced to retreat, there has been a quiet swimwear revolution among women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
Last summer, bikini sales increased 59 percent year-over-year, as the baby boomer generation switched to thong bikinis faster than any other generation.
Penny Lancaster is the frontrunner among celebrities.
The 53-year-old mother of two was photographed last month while holidaying with her husband Rod Stewart and their family on their superyacht in Sardinia, showing off a series of tiny bikinis.
While some on social media criticized the model-turned-special agent, claiming she’s too old for a triangle bikini, most praised her for being confident in her body and happy in her own skin. She’s in good company.
From 61-year-old actress Demi Moore showing off her toned abs in a skimpy white dress to fellow actors Sharon Stone, 66, and Salma Hayek, 57, and TV presenter Jenny Powell, 56, it seems middle-aged celebrities have truly turned their backs on the all-in-one outfit.
In contrast, in 2008 it was big news when Helen Mirren wore a red bikini a few days before her 63rd birthday.
And when former Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman shared a bikini selfie in 2017 at age 59, it caused a similar uproar.
This year, however, there is no such fuss.
According to some research, 46 is the age at which we stop caring about what others think.
‘More power to them’
I’m 40 and my peers my age and a little older are like, “Never mind, put on that damn bikini. Life’s too short.”
Recently, model Kelly Brook (44), TV presenters Helen Skelton (41) and Cat Deeley (47), and actors Priyanka Chopra (42) and Jessica Alba (43) have all shown off their incredible figures in tiny two-pieces.
Most of the women I’m friends with do the same, regardless of their body shape.
At Boux Avenue, 86 percent of swimwear sold is bikinis, compared to 14 percent of swimsuits.
And in a Mumsnet discussion asking whether you should wear a bikini or a swimsuit on holiday, women overwhelmingly favoured bikinis.
One user wrote: “Last year, most women, regardless of age or body shape, wore a bikini.”
Another said: “It’s much easier to go to the toilet in a bikini.”
While a third added: “I like to tan my torso and I hate the feeling of a wet, cold pack on my stomach.”
One of them noted that they had a lot of “DGAF” [don’t give a f***] “old, unfit grannies” on vacation and remarked, “More power to them!” I have to agree.
Bikinis are much more flattering – and practical.
I am not tall and slim, I am 5’2” and a size 12. But after having my third child two years ago, I realized that this is the only body I will ever have. So why should I care what other people think about it?
Unlike when I went on holiday after having my first child, I now only take bikinis with me.
No one blinks. Not even my husband notices.
I myself wear high-waisted bottoms and a top with underwire and padding, while friends might opt for a smaller, triangular model.
As long as I still have confidence in my bikini, I will continue to wear it.
I’m not going to put a limit on when I should go back to a more covered style.
My husband has never looked at his neon pink swim trunks and thought, “Maybe I’m too old for these, should I switch to a more age-appropriate style?”
Why should this be any different for women?
